People have been losing their minds and their unnecessary stuff over Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

For those of you who don’t know, Marie Kondo is famous for her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which encouraged people to purge their overcluttered houses of anything that didn’t bring them joy.

Thanks to the new series, a new wave of ‘Kondoites’ are adopting the minimalist life in a big way – and it’s a good thing.

People have a tendency to collect stuff. Over the years we accumulate trinkets, mementoes, appliances and furniture that take up valuable cupboard and living space.

Kondo would encourage you to throw out the trash and donate the rest to charity organisations, but what about the stuff that is no longer useful, but holds sentimental value?

This is where the following four-step plan comes in, with a way to adopt the minimalist lifestyle without having to give absolutely everything away.

STEP 1: Clear out the kitchen cupboards

The best way to start decluttering and tidying is by focusing on one room at a time. The kitchen is a good place to start because deciding what to keep and throw away is easier. Have you noticed that you have two half-empty bottles of cumin and a six-month-old bottle of jam? Throw out, or donate any half-empty ingredients (just check expiry dates first).

Most of us haven’t developed a deep emotional connection to the half-full bottle of tomato sauce so it’s easy to throw away. Once you’ve done the kitchen, and experienced the joy of a de-cluttered and tidy room, you’ll be in the right headspace to tackle harder rooms and belongings.

STEP 2: Keep similar belongings together

The first step is to sort similar belongings into piles. That way you can see what you have and what you actually need. Once sorted, divide each pile of similar belongings into ‘keep’, ‘donate’ and ‘store‘ piles.

Repeat this process with everything you own.

STEP 3: Avoid doubling up

See Step 2, but apply it to absolutely everything. If you have fifty winter coats, but only wear two of them, the other 48 aren’t doing anything useful.

Doubling up on toiletries, cleaning materials and household items is a sure way to create clutter and cause chaos. A memo pad is a great way to keep track of what is needed, or download an app.

STEP 4: Decide what to give away, keep and store

Struggling to part with the 48 coats I mentioned earlier? Why not put them in storage? The same goes for sentimental or heirloom items that don’t fit your new minimalist aesthetic, but are too valuable to give or throw away.

Give or throw away what you don’t want, tidy away what you’ve decided to keep within reach, and store what you’d like access to later.

Once you have that down, you’re ready for the finishing flourish.

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For your convenience, and to ensure that your self-storage requirements are met, Stor-Age can provide you with a range of self-storage boxes, padlocks, bubble wrap, tape and other self-storage packaging items to make your journey to that minimalist life that much easier.

Sign up now, and you’ll get 50% off of your first month of storage, and you can renew on a month-by-month basis.

Take that sweet deal as the sign you need to get going on tidying, decluttering and living a simpler, more rewarding life.